The first day of the draft is over, and the Eagles used their two picks in the first two rounds to draft two skill position players.The Eagles holding the 21st pick in the 1st round were looking at guys like Knowshon Moreno, or Brandon Pettigrew. Moreno was taken 12th overall by the Denver Broncos. You thought the Eagles might then look to take Pettigrew, or Donald Brown from UConn. Instead, at pick #19, the Eagles gave the Cleveland Browns a 6th round pick and their 21st pick to move up to the Browns 19th pick. At pick #19, the Eagles took Missouri wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. This was the first time the Eagles took a skill position in the 1st round since 2001 when they took Freddie Mitchell. Let's hope this turns out a little bit better. Maclin is definitely a weapon. Most boards had Maclin going in the top 10, or somewhere around the 7-13 range. The fact that Maclin was still available at 19 was surprising, and the Eagles clearly wanted him. Maclin is somewhere between 6'0" and 6'1", and weighs a little under 200. He is fast enough to stretch the field, and also a great possession receiver. By adding Maclin, the Eagles will have an extremely dynamic, versatile pass catching tandem in Maclin and DeSean Jackson. You can do a lot of different things with Maclin and Jackson.
In the 2nd round, the Eagles waited until their pick at #53 to make their selection, and ended up getting an absolute steal in Pitt running back LeSean McCoy. It is no secret that we are Kotite's Corner have been hyping LeSean McCoy for a while. Many mock drafts had McCoy going in the first round of this year's draft. He definitely has first round skill. In his two seasons at Pitt, the guy was an absolute beast. Without any passing game at Pitt, he still ran wild on every team he played. McCoy does a lot of the same things that Westbrook does. He is elusive, shifty, and very quick. He can get to the corners, and also run in between the tackles. He hits the holes hard, and sheds more tacklers at his size than you would think he would. He makes defenders look foolish with his cutting ability. He has that built in running back quality, where when he is making a move on a defender, he is already looking at the next defender coming at him. He can also catch the ball on screen passes, and he can run the "wildcat."
The Eagles added two weapons on offense who should be able to step in right away and help the offense out. They will need to learn a lot of things, but they are still good weapons that will be much needed on the offense. Day 2 of the draft continues today. Look for the Eagles to take a tight end today, as long as a cornerback, and possibly a safety.
1 comment:
Okay, I ordinarily anticipate bashing the Birds' draft moves, but in this case I'm at least cautiously optimistic. Maclin is highly talenteed, versatile, and was undoubtedly a steal at 19, though I'm not entirely convinced he's an immediate NFL impact player, which I think Pettigrew may be. But it's not really worth quibbling about. This is a good pick, assuming that Boldin was impossible to acquire. At first I was pissed: Maclin instead of Boldin? Once again, Lurie & Banner are more interested in winning the Cap Bowl than the Super Bowl -- BUT, since there have been absolutely no Boldin moves by any team so far, it may be legitimate that the price tag is simply too high for anyone right now. So, I've taken some deep cleansing breaths and am ready to sign on with Maclin (I'm sure Reid is relieved about that...). I absolutely love the McCoy pick and, unlike Mr. Green, I have no particular allegiance to the Panthers. This guy is the real deal, is ready for prime time from day one, and provides a legitimate double threat in tandem with Westbrook. This may be the steal of the entire draft, and is something to be genuinely excited about. So, surprising even myself, I give Reid & Company an A for the first two rounds. Beyond that, stay tuned.
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